Furnace



Nov. 20, I934. E. TORRE Y FURNACE Filed Jan. 29, 1932 "In!!! llllluunn/I 4 III/III IIIIIIIIIl/II lnnunullllllunun INVEN TOR.

//lllllllllllllllllll Ill Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNACE Edward L. Torrey, Oakland, Calif. Application January 29, 1932, Serial No. 589,623

9 Claims. (Cl. 126-116) This invention is a hot air furnace especially adapted to the use of gaseous fuels and intended primarily as the heating element in hot air heating systems. 1

The main object of the invention is to provide a furnace of such form which will obviate the usual ,hot spots, condensation and sweating, vitiation of air caused by the hot spots, distortion of metals and other undesirable features so prevalent in existing types of furnaces.

Another object of the invention is to provide a furnace of unusually high efficiency, providing even heat distribution, rapid and free flow of air, maintaining even temperature throughout and in which the combustion chamber and radiator are one and the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a furnace which coincidently comprises a combustion chamber and radiator and which is of stream-line form.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a furnace as outlined with stream-line fins to conduct the heat uniformly from the walls of the furnace whereby the entire unit is maintained at substantially uniform temperature throughout. providing thereby uniform heat expansion of the metal and thus preventing the usual cracking and snapping which occurs when heating devices are unevenly heated, and further, to provide the furnace with a down draft baffle and stream-line outlet with fins whereby substantially all the avail- .able -heat is removed from the gases previous to exhaust in the stack.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following dGSCI'iP-e tion is read on the drawing forming a part of this specification and in which similar reference characters are used to indicate similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side sectional elevation of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front sectional elevation of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a' front view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a side view thereof.

Referring to said views, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally the side walls of my im proved furnace enclosing the combustion chamber 9. The lower portions of said walls are semielliptical in form, as at 8, and extend upwardly, with bi-lateral symmetry in inwardly convex side walls '7 converging to a relatively sharp ridge 11. The front and rear walls, 12 and 13, respectively, are of analogous configurations being of bulbous forms adjacent their lower portions and merging therefrom upwardly to the ridge in inwardly convex lines. Heat radiating integral fins 15 arranged vertically upon the exterior of the walls extend from adjacent the wider regions of the combustion chamber upwardly to above the ridge 11 with respective proportional areas estimated to maintain the entire fins at substantially uniform temperature.

A baffle 16 closes off the rearward portion of the furnace except for an opening 17 adjacent the ridge forming a down-draft chamber 19 and the flue connection 18 is connected at the bottom of the down-draft chamber 19 formed between the rear wall 13 and baffle 16 the upper end of the chamber being restricted by the inwardly sloping wall 13.

The fiue connection 18 is also of stream-line form similar to that of the body of. the furnace and terminates in an actute ridge 20 at the top tube is obviated resulting in more uniform and perfect combustion.

It will be noted that this specific form of furnace or combustion chamber conforms to the variation in temperature and volume of the gases, the ignition zone being broad and gradually narrowing as combustion is completed thus preventing the usual hot spots. There are no pockets for the formation of condensation other than in the bottom of the furnace, the heat is practically all expanded in the body of the furnace and in the fins before passing through the passage 17 and down the downdraft 19 where after passing through the flue connection 18 only sufficient heat remains to move the gases from the furnace.

Thus unusually high efficiency is obtained, and a furnace which is simple in construction, free from hot spots, condensation, noises, distortion, and which provides uniform heat and free circulation of air.

Mounting feet 28 are provided and the furnace may be used without the casing or jacket 24, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 when it becomes an internal combustion radiator.

Having described an operative device it will be understood that variations in construction, form and arrangement of parts which are con sistent with the appended claims may be resorted to without detracting from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. A furnace comprising a combustion chamber having an interior vertical cross section of approximately'stream-lineform, the bottom thereupwardly in such manner as to terminate in anacute ridge at the top ofthe chamber, each end of the furnace having a contour similar to that of the sides and terminating at the ridge.

2. A furnace comprising a combustion chamber having an interior vertical cross section of approximately stream-line form, the bottom thereof being aproximately semi-elliptical in crosssection and merged into upwardly extended side walls, said side walls being curved inwardly and upwardly in such manner as to terminate in an acute ridge at the top of the chamber, each end of the furnace having a contour similar to that of the sides and terminating at the ridge, spacedv apart fins extending over the ridge and terminating-at the sides adjacent the lower extremities of the side walls, and a vertical-fin on each end extending from the combustion zone area to the top of the side fins, said fins having a peripheral contour conforming to the contour of the said ends.

3. A furnace comprising a combustion chamber having an interior vertical cross section of approximately stream-line form, the bottom thereof being approximately semi-elliptical in cross section and merged into upwardly extended side walls, said side walls being curved inwardly and upwardly in such manner as to terminate in an acute ridge at the top of the chamber, each end of the furnace having a contour similar to that of the sides and terminating at the ridge, an outlet flue of a cross sectional form similar to that of the combustion chamber and connected at one erid with saidv chamber, peripheral fins on said flue, and a baflle plate within said combustion chamber and located adjacent to the position of communication between the flue and said chamber, said baflie being extended upwardly to a position near the top of the chamber and so located with respect to the adjacent end wall of the chamber as to provide an expanding downflue leading to the outlet flue.

4. A furnace comprising a combustion chamber having an interior vertical cross section of approximately stream-line form, the bottom thereof being approximatey semi-elliptical in cross section and merged into upwardly extended side walls, said side walls being curved inwardly and upwardly in such manner as to terminate in an acute ridge at the top of the chamber, an outlet flue of cross sectional form similar to that of the combustion chamber and connected at one endwith an end of the chamber, and a bafile plate within said combustion chamber adjacent to the position of communication between the,

flue and the chamber, said baffle being extended upwardly to a position near the top of the chamber, said bafile and the adjacent end wall being so relatively constructed and'arranged as toprovide an expanding down-flue leading to said outlet flue.

5. A furnace comprising a combustion chamber having an interior vertical cross section of apof the combustion chamber and connected at one end with said chamber, peripheral fins on said flue, a bafile plate withinsaid combustion chamber and located adjacent to the position of communication between the flue and said chamber, said bafile being extended upwardly to a position near the top of the chamber and so located with respect to the adjacent end wall of'the chamber as to provide an expanding down-flue leading to the outlet flue, and a heating element disposed in the bottom portion of said combustion chamber and extending approximately from the front end of said chamber to said baflle.

6. A furnace comprising an elongated combustion chamber having an upwardly opening trough-shaped bottom portion of semi-elliptical form in vertical cross section and. side walls merging with said bottom portion and extending upwardly in continuous inwardly convex configuration to a common medial ridge, each end ofthe furnace having an outline form similar to the contour of said sides and terminating at said medial ridge, spaced apart fins extending over said ridge and terminating atthe sides adjacent to the combustion chamber,-a vertical fin on each end extending from said bottom portion to the tops of the side fins, all of said flns having a peripheral contour conforming to the shape of those portions of the chamber on which they are mounted, an outlet flue of a cross sectional form 105 similar to that of the combustion chamber and connected at one end with said chamber, said outlet flue being provided with peripheral fins conforming to the contour of the flue, a bafile plate located within said chamber adjacent the position of communication between the flue and the chamber, said baflle plate being extended upwardly to a position near the top of the chamber and so located with respect to the adjacent end wall of the chamber as to provide an expanding down-flue leading to the outlet flue, and a heating element disposed in the bottom portion of the chamber and extending approximately from the front end of the chamber to said baf-' fle.

7. A furnace comprising an elongated combustion chamber having an upwardly opening trough-shaped bottom portion of semi-elliptical form in vertical cross section, and side walls merging with said bottom portion and extending 125 upwardly in continuous inwardly convex configuration to a common medial ridge.

8. A furnace comprising an elongated combustion chamber having an upwardly opening trough-shaped bottom portion of semi-elliptical 130 form in vertical cross section, and side walls merging with said bottom portion and extending upwardly in continuous inwardly convex configuration to a common medial ridge, said chamber also having end walls extending'upwardly in 135 continuous inwardly convex configuration and terminating at said ridge.

9. A furnace comprising an elongated combustion chamber having'an upwardly opening trough-shaped bottom portion of semi-elliptical 140 form in vertical cross section, and sidewalls merging with said bottom portion and extending upwardly'in continuous inwardly convex configuration to a common medial ridge, and radiating fins carried by said side walls and. extending vertically from positions adjacent the line of merger between the bottom portion and said side walls.

EDWARD L. TORREY. 

